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Psychological Distress, Burnout, and Business Student Turnover: The Role of Resilience as a Coping Mechanism

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Listed:
  • David J. Emerson

    (Salisbury University)

  • Joseph F. Hair

    (University of South Alabama)

  • Kenneth J. Smith

    (Salisbury University)

Abstract

This study’s purpose is to examine whether resilience, conceptualized by Connor and Davidson (2003) as one’s capacity to persevere and rebound under adversity, was a potential mitigating and/or moderating factor in the dynamic between both psychological distress and academic burnout, and student attrition. We concurrently distributed a survey containing a series of psychometric instruments to a convenience sample of 1,119 students pursuing various business majors at four geographically diverse U.S. universities. Via structural equations modeling analysis, we measured the associations between psychological distress, academic burnout, and departure intentions, and investigated whether student resilience levels are associated with lower distress, burnout, and departure intentions levels. The results indicated significant positive associations between psychological distress and each of the elements of academic burnout, and significant positive associations between the academic burnout elements and departure intentions. However, while resilience did not moderate those associations, it did attenuate them through its direct negative associations with both psychological distress and the cynicism and academic inefficacy elements of academic burnout. Based on these findings, we discuss implications for business educators seeking to enhance individual resilience levels as a coping strategy to combat voluntary student turnover, and better prepare students for the demands of the workplace.

Suggested Citation

  • David J. Emerson & Joseph F. Hair & Kenneth J. Smith, 2023. "Psychological Distress, Burnout, and Business Student Turnover: The Role of Resilience as a Coping Mechanism," Research in Higher Education, Springer;Association for Institutional Research, vol. 64(2), pages 228-259, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:reihed:v:64:y:2023:i:2:d:10.1007_s11162-022-09704-9
    DOI: 10.1007/s11162-022-09704-9
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Hair, Joe F. & Howard, Matt C. & Nitzl, Christian, 2020. "Assessing measurement model quality in PLS-SEM using confirmatory composite analysis," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 109(C), pages 101-110.
    2. Kenneth J. Smith & Timothy D. Haight & David J. Emerson & Shawn Mauldin & Bob G. Wood, 2020. "Resilience as a coping strategy for reducing departure intentions of accounting students," Accounting Education, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 29(1), pages 77-108, January.
    3. Kenneth J. Smith & David J. Emerson & Charles R. Boster & George S. Everly, Jr, 2020. "Resilience as a coping strategy for reducing auditor turnover intentions," Accounting Research Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 33(3), pages 483-498, May.
    4. McDaid, David & Park, A-La & Wahlbeck, Kristian, 2019. "The economic case for the prevention of mental illness," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 100054, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    5. Scott C. Manley & Joseph F. Hair & Ralph I. Williams & William C. McDowell, 2021. "Essential new PLS-SEM analysis methods for your entrepreneurship analytical toolbox," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 17(4), pages 1805-1825, December.
    6. Ali, Faizan & Kim, Woo Gon & Ryu, Kisang, 2016. "The effect of physical environment on passenger delight and satisfaction: Moderating effect of national identity," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 213-224.
    7. Wilmar Schaufeli & Marisa Salanova & Vicente González-romá & Arnold Bakker, 2002. "The Measurement of Engagement and Burnout: A Two Sample Confirmatory Factor Analytic Approach," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 3(1), pages 71-92, March.
    8. Marann Byrne & Barbara Flood & Julie Griffin, 2014. "Measuring the Academic Self-Efficacy of First-year Accounting Students," Accounting Education, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 23(5), pages 407-423, October.
    9. Smith, Kenneth J. & Emerson, David J., 2017. "An analysis of the relation between resilience and reduced audit quality within the role stress paradigm," Advances in accounting, Elsevier, vol. 37(C), pages 1-14.
    10. Sarstedt, Marko & Hair, Joseph F. & Cheah, Jun-Hwa & Becker, Jan-Michael & Ringle, Christian M., 2019. "How to specify, estimate, and validate higher-order constructs in PLS-SEM," Australasian marketing journal, Elsevier, vol. 27(3), pages 197-211.
    11. Kenneth J. Smith & Donald L. Rosenberg & G. Timothy Haight, 2014. "An Assessment of the Psychometric Properties of the Perceived Stress Scale‐10 (PSS10) with Business and Accounting Students," Accounting Perspectives, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 13(1), pages 29-59, March.
    12. repec:ucp:bkecon:9780226316529 is not listed on IDEAS
    13. Smith, Kenneth J. & Emerson, David J., 2014. "An assessment of the psychometric properties of the Perceived Stress Scale-10 (PSS10) with a U.S. public accounting sample," Advances in accounting, Elsevier, vol. 30(2), pages 309-314.
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